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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Who is BU? Me for throwing food out or him for insisting I don't

56 replies

Whatthe4 · 07/09/2022 17:30

As I went to take the kids dinner bits out of the freezer I realised they were defrosted, checked the plug and somebody had turned it off by mistake.

I've no idea how long it was switched off but it has to be more than 24 hours. The ice creams had melted, sausages defrosted as were the chicken dippers and OH's couple of boxes of fish. Fortunately we hadn't just done a big shop and only had a few bits in there as we're going on holiday.

I don't have time to cook and refreeze everything so after taking out the bits I am cooking today I put the remnants in the bin. A few sausages, a handful or so of chicken dippers left in the bottom of the bag, the melted ice cream, a couple of handfuls or two of soggy chips. Next to nothing in the grand scheme of things. I don't make a habit of throwing out food.

DP was irritated by this and is huffing and puffing about wasting it. I told him you can't refreeze meat without cooking it. He insists you can and that the freezer would have only been off for a few hours.

I pointed out that the freezer has a 24 hour back up and as the food was defrosted there's no way it has only been off for a few hours.

He doesnt like being told he has something wrong, ever. I caught him about to cook out of date smelly chicken before from the fridge.

He grumbles on about how he doesn't want me to throw his fish away. Thats fine. If he wants it he can risk it but I wasn't taking any chances with the kids sausages and chicken etc.

He's still in a bad mood and I think he's being ridiculous.

Who, if any of us, is being unreasonable?

OP posts:
henni85 · 07/09/2022 17:32

I would have thrown the food out too. You shouldn’t refreeze stuff once it has defrosted

mountainsunsets · 07/09/2022 17:34

I wouldn't have cooked anything out of that freezer 😬

Original poster
Whatthe4 · 07/09/2022 17:35

henni85 · 07/09/2022 17:32

I would have thrown the food out too. You shouldn’t refreeze stuff once it has defrosted

Quite. I told him that and he's adamant that it would have been fine. He's sitting in silence now. Such foolishness.

OP posts:
NumptiesIncorporated · 07/09/2022 17:35

I'm pretty relaxed about stuff - but there's no way I would do anything other than chuck that out.

Original poster
Whatthe4 · 07/09/2022 17:37

mountainsunsets · 07/09/2022 17:34

I wouldn't have cooked anything out of that freezer 😬

What I cooked today was still cold just not frozen, I was under the impression that would be ok.

If I throw the cooked stuff out now I think he'll have a fit. You should see his face about a few sausages and chicken dippers.

OP posts:
Elieza · 07/09/2022 17:38

He’s an arse. The whole family would have had food poisoning. Sod that. Even if it costs £50 to replace all the food it’s a bargain compared to food poisoning. If someone offered me £500 to eat defrosted freezer food that may or may not be off I’d refuse lol!!

SteveHarringtonsChestHair · 07/09/2022 17:38

He’s an idiot! If the freezer has been closed it must have been off for ages as it would have held its temperature for a good long while with the door shut. I wouldn’t be risking eating anything from that freezer tbh. And I’m pretty relaxed about best before dates etc

BotterMon · 07/09/2022 17:40

He should have cooked it all then shouldn't he then he could have refrozen it.

mountainsunsets · 07/09/2022 17:41

Whatthe4 · 07/09/2022 17:37

What I cooked today was still cold just not frozen, I was under the impression that would be ok.

If I throw the cooked stuff out now I think he'll have a fit. You should see his face about a few sausages and chicken dippers.

Show quote history

Yeah, tbh it's not a risk I would take, sorry!

You don't know how long it's been off - it could be several days at this point.

GhostFromTheOtherSide · 07/09/2022 17:41

you need to throw everything out, even the cooked stuff.

If it’s all defrosted it’s been off for days not hours.

And I have o time for the silent treatment. He can fuck off.

Original poster
Whatthe4 · 07/09/2022 17:41

I suspect his overly defensive response is because he remembered turning the socket off by mistake, I know for absolute certain that I didn't so that only leaves him and the (very little) kids.

I'm second guessing the food in the oven now..

OP posts:
GhostFromTheOtherSide · 07/09/2022 17:43

I suspect his overly defensive response is because he remembered turning the socket off by mistake, I know for absolute certain that I didn't so that only leaves him and the (very little) kids. I was going to suggest that it was probably him.

shivawn · 07/09/2022 17:43

YANBU, I wouldn't take any chances with chicken or pork.

Boiledbeetle · 07/09/2022 17:43

well of course it was him who turned it off. That is the reason why he's having a strop.

I'd give it all to him to eat and get everyone else fish and chips.

Hymnulop · 07/09/2022 17:45

Chuck it all out and get a takeaway!

Carrotmum · 07/09/2022 17:47

I would take the stuff out of the bin, not the melted ice cream, cook it on a separate tray then plate it up for him to eat throw in a “ta da” let him make himself ill if he wants to. Do not refreeze anything though.

Original poster
Whatthe4 · 07/09/2022 17:48

He's switched the silent treatment for waffling on about how he knows for a fact that the freezer hasn't been off for more than 24 hours.

The reasons he gave:

The ice would have melted. He would have noticed if the food was defrosted yesterday. There would have been a puddle on the floor around the freezer.

OP posts:
MereDintofPandiculation · 07/09/2022 17:51

SteveHarringtonsChestHair · 07/09/2022 17:38

He’s an idiot! If the freezer has been closed it must have been off for ages as it would have held its temperature for a good long while with the door shut. I wouldn’t be risking eating anything from that freezer tbh. And I’m pretty relaxed about best before dates etc

But what is important is not how long it’s been off, but how long it’s been at too high a temperature. If it has a 24hour back up, as OP says, you don’t start counting until the 24 hours is up. Then if you reckon it’s taken 3 days to get to the temperature it has, then anything you’d have been happy to get out of the freezer and leave in the fridge for 3 days is probably OK. Sausages don’t come into that category!

Bubblebubblebah · 07/09/2022 17:51

I am usually the "no, don't throw it away" but if this has defroted, I wouldn't probably even attempt to cook it. Lucky it wasn't full freezer of stuff

SlouchingTowardsBethlehemAgain · 07/09/2022 17:53

Tell him Mumsnet thinks he's a twat.

Pumpkintopf · 07/09/2022 17:53

Tell him to crack on and eat the defrosted food if he likes but you and the dc won't be.

Imsupertangirl · 07/09/2022 17:54

My husband drank milk that had been on the doorstep for over 48 hours in the Uk, in august, so I think men are just gross!!! He was most put out when I assumed we’d chuck it!!

RandomMess · 07/09/2022 17:56

I would ask him "so when do you think you accidentally turned it off then?"

Bubblebubblebah · 07/09/2022 17:59

Imsupertangirl · 07/09/2022 17:54

My husband drank milk that had been on the doorstep for over 48 hours in the Uk, in august, so I think men are just gross!!! He was most put out when I assumed we’d chuck it!!

I think that's why they also have stronger stomachs so they look at others weirdly 😂 I am very partial to expired food since childhood, based on tales told by my family, and I have never had food poisoning. And I eat stuff which probably should have nearly kill me😂

Original poster
Whatthe4 · 07/09/2022 18:01

He's saying he isn't denying the fact he might have turned it off by mistake. I said well that explains your strange and defensive response then. He then replied no, that's not the case and he isn't being defensive. What a load of rubbish.

The problem isn't the fact he made a mistake as everybody makes them, it's him swearing blind the food is fine to be refrozen and eaten. He would be happy to take that risk, our youngest whom eats sausages etc is 10 months old!

What an arse.

I'm going to bin the cooked food and get fish and chips from the chip shop.

OP posts: